The amazing goat

The goat is an amazing animal; small, intelligent, and adaptable the goat supplies fiber, meat, milk to both the rich and the poor. The goat through targeted grazing can help manage, and sustain an ecosystem. The amazing goat blog is an information and discussion center for groups or persons interested in goats. My purpose eventually is to have an international group where we came discuss all aspects of goat production worldwide, an International community with common purpose, the goat.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Hi I recieved this email form one of our final year students who is very active in Vets Without Borders. One of their projects involves the goat and is in keeping with my Theme:"Trade guns for Goats". I thought I should bring it to my followers' attention.

Meg Smart DVM PhD

I will be working in Mbarara, Uganda this summer with Veterinarians without
Borders. I am joining a goat pass on project where farmers are given a goat
after proving they have the capactity to take care of it. When the goat is bred
and has kids, that newborn is given to another
family in the community. I will be there this summer vacinating and health
checking all these goats. We will also be assesing new communities and
distributing new goats. This is where you have the chance to purchase a goat for
a family in need. The majority of our beneficiaries are women and children who
have lost family members to HIV/AIDS. These goats help these men and women to
make a small income which helps send their children to school and feed their
family. The cost of a goat in Uganda is $50. With this donation you will receive
a picture of your goat with its new family. There are no administration fees,
all donations will go directly to the project and the goat will be hand
delivered by myself. To make a donation please visit my donation page (http://donations.vwb-vsf.ca/index.php?option=com_civicrm&task=civicrm%2Fcontribute%2Ftransact&reset=1&id=14). If you choose to buy a goat send me a message with your address
and number of goats you purchased so I can send you a picture and story of the
family at the end of the summer. If you have any questions about the project
please contact me.

Monday, November 21, 2011

This is November and winter is here. Hopefully, you began your winter preparations long ago by making sure all your winter feeds and needs are in place or planned for. If you are just going into your first winter with goats hopefully you got some advice from successful producers in your area. Exploration of the internet may be of benefit as well.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Answers to Questions Asked at the Alberta Goat Producers Meeting in Leduc Alberta August 2011

How can we recognize Johne’s disease?

Johne’s disease is a chronic disease, which is transmitted to kids through their infected mother’s manure or that of other infected goats in close proximity who may be shedding the bacteria. The first sign you may see is weight loss, despite a good appetite. She may have intermittent loose manure. The symptoms often become worse right after kidding. The doe is usually mature but Johne’s can occur in animals just over a year of age and can also be seen in bucks. You may initially suspect internal parasites and deworm and see no response. Eventually she will become very thin and develop a fluid non-painful swelling under the skin below her jaw, at this time she may have diarrhea.

Johne’s because of its long incubation period and the fact that goats can shed the organism in their manure without being or before becoming clinically can make this a difficult disease to eliminate from your goats unless you are prepared to do some major culling.

Advise to New Goat producers:

·Plan to maintain a closed herd, bringing in only those goat you know the farm of origin, you have seen their goats , their production records and their daily herd management records

·Never buy a goat from the auction market, unless you are prepared to keep two separate groups: the clean and the auction Market specials

·If purchasing a group from a dispersal sale, check the records “no herd records no sale”

·Word of mouth is not good enough only the cold true facts should be followed

·If you are bringing in bucks check his maternal history, is his mother still on the farm, are his siblings still there if not where are they.

Caseous Vaccination:

For a detailed paper on this topic go to http://www.clgoatcare.org/#5.0. There are no vaccines available in Canada for CL in goats. An autogenous vaccine made specifically from the bacteria infecting your goats is your only option, plus proper hygiene when dealing with the problem. Again, CL is a disease if you are careful you do not need to bring on your farm, by following the advice above. An effective control programme must include reduced exposure to contaminated materials associated with a ruptured or lanced abscess.

Biosecurity

The Alberta Goat Breeders Association and The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association, supported by the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada have published a Biosecurity Best Practices Pocket Guide. This is an excellent easy to use guide covering the actions, precautions, and the protocols to protect your goats from disease through physical barriers and proper hygiene.

Friday, August 5, 2011

The devastating Impact of Roundup This is an informative link to the scientific papers concerning the devastating impact that Round up is having on our environment and on the soil that we rely on to grow our food.
Thriving local economies centered around local responsible and accountable food production is the only way we are going to survive. But is it too late to trade "guns for goats"? Has the industrial military complex become to powerful and pervasive for the world to survive?